Deeper wholeness, more of the abundant life — is that not what we all desire? But how do we experience that from Jesus? In addition to Christian community, fellowship, the Scriptures, worship and various spiritual disciplines we can experience more of his real Presence. The audio recording below starts with two testimonies of women who received deep healing from Jesus in ways they had not expected. The first lady, with some tears, recounts how the Lord gave her lasting healing from a longstanding inner personal battle. In fact, it was not on her mind until the Holy Spirit brought it up in a prayer time. But Jesus knew her deepest need and hence the deeper need for more wholeness. The second lady was “nudged” by Jesus to “get out of the box” but wasn’t sure what to ask prayer for. What was her deepest need? The prayer session focused on her relationship with her mother who had passed away years prior but there still were issues and some unresolved emotions about that relationship. The result was a deeper sense of security in Christ’s love, experiencing Christ’s love in ways she cannot explain (Eph. 3:14-19) and knowing the love of her mother. Please listen to the audio message to hear these testimonies in detail.
I go on to share the story of a professional counselor who for many years experienced indecision. In our prayer session Jesus reminded her of her abortion over thirty years prior. The experience was traumatizing in itself but also the root of this indecision. She never had closure for that part of her life and had always wondered what Jesus thought of her because of the abortion. Jesus, with His Spirit, brought healing and closure for that whole painful event in a way neither she nor I (or anyone!) could have anticipated.
To understand the above experiences we need to develop a “theology of the Presence”, for which I give a brief outline in this audio message. Among other things, we need to know the ways in which Jesus manifests his Presence and understand them in Biblical categories. Enjoy and be edified!
